British workers are increasingly unhappy in their jobs, with almost one in ten planning to quit in January, a new survey shows.

Nearly a quarter said their work was making them unhappy, while 9 per cent expected to hand in their notice this month, according to research from the international schools group ACS.

The findings will fuel concerns that unhappiness in the workplace is contributing to dismal productivity in Britain and a tricky jobs market. Of those who said they expected to quit their jobs this month, more than a third (37 per cent) intended to hand in their notice on Monday.

Rachel Reeves pledged in the autumn budget to prioritise boosting economic productivity, which has for years lagged behind other nations in the G7. Yet the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) lowered its economic growth forecasts from next year after the announcement, citing weaker expectations for productivity.

Research has consistently shown that British workers are, on average, some of the most dissatisfied in Europe. Alongside inflationary pressures and a tough jobs market, they face a vastly different career landscape than in the past, with factors such as the rise of hybrid working often cited as a driver of loneliness among the Gen Z cohort.

According to ACS, about 16 per cent of British workers plan to return to university or college, with 8 per cent set to ask their bosses for a sabbatical.

More than a quarter are planning to start their own business at some point this year, while 24 per cent wish to retrain in something different. A total of 41 per cent say they are expecting a career overhaul in 2026.

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Martin Hall, head of school at ACS Hillingdon, blamed the UK exam system for forcing children to “narrow their subject choices too early”.

“The research shows that the nation’s workers feel like they have been short-changed when it comes to their careers, and the next generation fears the system will send them the same way,” he said.

The survey commissioned by ACS covered 3,527 people in the UK, including more than 2,500 working adults and young people aged between 16 and 21, alongside about 1,000 parents with children at school, college or university.

Two thirds of parents polled said they felt the UK’s exam system was pushing children to pick subjects too soon and limiting their study and career options. About one in five working Britons feel resentful about being “shoehorned” into a certain career, with a sixth feeling depressed about where they ended up.

ACS said schools were guilty of “active discouragement” rather than just “passive neglect”, with 62 per cent of working adults viewing the advice they received during education as unhelpful.

That comes despite a new generation of workers increasingly regarding employment satisfaction as a top priority, with more than two thirds of young people saying that enjoyment matters more than pay, security or progression.